Gar-coupling brake



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. P. SEAWELL.

' GAR GOUPLING BRAKE.

No. 479,924. Patented July 19, 1892.

FFICE JESSE P. SEAWELL, OF CLARKSBURG, MISSOURI.

CAR-COUPLING BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Application led August 5, 1891.

To all whom it muy con/cern.l

Beit known that I, Jnssn P. SEAWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clarksburg, in the county of Moniteau, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Coupling Brakes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to devices for automatically filling the portable reservoir of a car-brake with air under pressure and releasing said air either from the interior of the car or from one end of a train of cars. It is an improvement upon the invention for which a patent was granted to me and to John H. OI-Iara .February 24, 1891, No. 447,207; and the objects of my improvement are to simplify and reduce the cost of parts of the device in the manner hereinafter described. I attain these objects by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings7 in Which- Figure l is a side View, partly in section, of the apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention and applied to a portion of a car. Fig. 2 is a top view of a three-way cock used Iwith my apparatus. Fig. 3 is an under side plan view of the apparatus, partly in section, showing the brake-cylinder on one side of the air-reservoir.

In the drawings, A represents the body of a car, to the bottom of which are secured,ad jacent to its end, the straps B, that support the draw-head C, which can be of any suitable construction. To the inner end of said drawhead is secured by a pivot-pin c one end of the piston-rod D, carrying the piston cl. Said piston is located within a cylinder E, retained in a strong frame E2, known as drafttimbers, securely bolted to the bottom of the car, said frame being capable of withstanding the traction of the car by the drawhead. One end of the piston-rod has a slotted head D2, through which the pivot-pin c passes, and between said head and one of the packing-boxes of the cylinder E a coiled spring D4 is placed upon the piston-rod to relieve the piston of any sudden concussion produced against the face of the draw-head by another car backing against it, and a similar spring D4 is coiled upon the opposite end Patent N0. 479,024, dated July 19, 1892.

Serial No.' 401,735. (No model.)

of the piston-rod between the opposite packing-box of the cylinder and a head or nut D3 secured upon said end of the piston-rod to relieve the piston of any sudden concussion produced by starting or pulling upon the drawhead of the car. The springs D4 are also used to keep the piston When in normal position near the center of the cylinder. To prevent, also, the piston from striking the heads of the cylinder and thus protect said heads, an elastic cushion E3, preferably of rubber about three inches thick, is located against the inner face of each of said heads.

The intermittent forward and back motions to which the draw-head is subjected while a train of cars is being made up or while traveling upon roads causes a reciprocating motion of the piston within the. cylinder,and said motion is utilized to iill a reservoir R with air under a pressure of one hundred to one hundred and fifty pounds per square inch, as may be desired, the amount of pressure in said reservoir being regulated by a blow-off valve 'r upon said reservoir. Air is admitted alternately into both ends of the cylinder E in front and rear of the piston d therein through short pipes secured to the heads of the cylinder, upon which are placed inwardly-swinging valves or check-valves e of suitable well-known construction to ,prevent the air admitted into the cylinder from escaping through the same opening. The air received in the cylinder E is conducted to the reservoir R through a pipe f, having two branches at the end attached to said cylinder, and each branch has a check-valve f2 of suitable well-known construction to prevent the return of the air into the cylinder after it has been expelled therefrom into the pipe f and reservoir R by the piston d in said cylinder E.

The compressed air in the pipe f and reservoir R is to be used to apply the brake against the wheels YV through the medium of the brake-cylinder H. The latter is shown suspended under the reservoir in Fig. l; but it may preferably be suspended from the bottom of the car, as shown in Fig. 3, and be alongside of said reservoir.

The cylinder II is shown provided with two pistons t h, each having a piston-rod h2, so that the brakes of the forward and rear truck ICO of the car can be uniformly operated from the same cylinder; but two independent cylinders may be used, if desired. In the illustrated construction the air under pressure is admitted in the brake-cylinder half-way of its length through the pipe g, issuing from a T branch placed upon the pipe f. The air admitted into the cylinder Il forces the pistons apart and the pistou-rods rock the levers 7b3, so as to bring their lower ends nearer together, and pulling upon the brake-rods h4 apply the brake-shoes against the periphery of the wheels in the usual manner. The bearing hole for the pivot-pin h5 may be slightly elongated to compensate for the slight area that would otherwise be traveled by the end of the lever h3, that is attached to the piston-rod h2.

In Fig. l the levers 7a3 are shown standing vertically to act upon the brake-rods; but in Fig. 3 the levers hfs are shown adapted to swing horizontally to give motion to the vertical bralie-lever shown in my patent, No. 447,207.

The passage of compressed air from the reservoir R or pipe f to the brake-cylinder Il is controlled by a three-way cock K placed on the pipe g between said pipe f and cylinder 1-I. This three-waycock can be controlled by the engineer of the train by means 0f electric wires 7c, connected with an electric dynamo upon the locomotive and with any well-known arrangement of electro-magnets or small dynamo k2, nearly encircling the spindle of the cock or a suitable core k3 placed thereon, so that by rotating the spindle of the cock the length of a segment of a circle compressed air will be permitted to pass to the cylinder Il, while the electric current remains on the cock, and when the current is cut off thepassage of air under pressure is cut from the brake-cylinder and the air therein is permitted to escape to the atmosphere through the ing one end secured to the frame ki and the other end to the stem oi. the cock.

If desired` the stem of the cock can be operated from the inside of the car or from the caboose oi' the train by pulling upon a cord attached to a crank-handle 7a, projecting from said stem. Vhen electric Wires are used, the three-way cock of each car is connected by branch wires with wires extending the length of the train, so that the engineer can apply the brakes on the entire train in an instant.

Having now fully described my invention, I claiml. In a car-brake, the combination of a draw-head, a piston-rod connected with said draw-head, a piston and its inclosing cylinder E, and check-valves in the ends of said cylinder, a spring between said cylinder and the draw-head, an air-reservoir and brakecylinder, and means for connecting the brakecylinder with the air-reservoir, substantially as described.

2. In a car-brake, the combination of a draw-head, a piston-rod connected with said draw-head and carrying a piston, the cylinder E, its check-valves and springs bearing against the packing-boxesatthe ends thereof, with cushions within the cylinder, an air-reservoir and brake-cylinder, and mea-ns for connecting the brake-cylinder with the airreservoir, substantially as described.

3. In a car-brake, the combination oi. a draw-head, a piston-rod and pistou connected with said draw-head, the cylinder E, having check-valves at the ends, an air-reservoir, a brake cylinder and pipes connecting the brake-cylinder and air-reservoir with the cylinder E, a three-way cock to control the air from the reservoir to the brake-cylinder, and means for operating said cock, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JESSE P. SEAWELL. Witnessc A. l?. FRAUsE, W. H. Jona. 

